Automotive vehicles have windows that are opened and closed via regulator assemblies that are either manually operated or power controlled. Regulator assemblies can be tape driven or cable driven, each having many similar components between the two systems.
A typical tape drive regulator assembly comprises a plastic tape having perforations spaced along its length and has a generally rectangular shaped cross-sectional profile. The tape is attached to the base of the window, and the tape is slidably mounted in a channel track that is fixed to the inner doorframe. The tape is routed around various guides, e.g., metal pulleys, fixed molded sliders, or molded rollers, which are located in spaced relationship within the automotive door and attached to the inner doorframe. The tape is additionally coupled to a tape drive, which comprises a manually operated handle or electrically operated motor. The tape drive has teeth engaging the perforations of the tape, which push or pull the tape to slide the attached window up or down respectively.
A typical cable drive regulator assembly comprises a cylindrical shaped flexible cable passed around a winding device, e.g., a take-up drum or a cylindrical roller. The cable is attached to the base of the window, and slidably mounted in a conduit that is fixed to the inner doorframe. Similar to a tape drive assembly, the cable is routed around guides of the type discussed above, and coupled to a cable drive comprising a manually operated handle or electrically operated motor. The cable drive reversibly rotates the winding device to shorten or increase a free length of the flexible cable to raise or lower the window respectively.
Guides of either the tape or cable regulator assemblies are typically constructed of metal, e.g., pulleys, or are molded plastic components, e.g., fixed molded sliders. These types of metal or molded guides can not be adjusted once they are manufactured, and are designed to fit only one required radius per regulator assembly. Additionally molded guides require separate molds for each radius they are designed to fit. This inhibits the ability to consolidate parts, consequently increasing the number of parts that must be stocked for repair or assembly purposes.
The aforementioned guides have tracks or channels, which guide the cable or tape during operation of the regulator assembly. However, the guides do not retain the cable or tape securely within the channel until fully assembled to the doorframe. Therefore, the guides cannot be preassembled to their associated cable or tape. Consequently guides must be shipped separately when delivered to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and additional time is required for assembly of the guides to the cable or tape at the production line.